Reduction in web page load times in IE and Firefox; can't work out why

niknak · 08 Jul 2013

Hi. I'm not tech-minded so please bear with me. Over the past few weeks I've noticed that web pages take several seconds longer to load than they did previously, both in Firefox and IE. Although no problems showed up when I scanned with McAfee (BT NetProtect Plus), Spybot, SUPERAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes in Safe Mode, I'm wondering if the reduction in page load speed is a sign of a problem. If anyone could advise I'd be very grateful.

Cpwildstar1000 · 08 Jul 2013

It might be that you have a lot of extensions in firefox and ie. if you get rid of some of them it might help.

Faladu · 09 Jul 2013

Backup your registry then try CCleaner from piriform.com (freeware) the most popular cleaning tool.

Browser cache/temp files might be issue, also a ridiculously big HOST file can slow down the internet, that is a DNS related file.

Some addons or utilities can make you go much slower, I discovered one called Adfender did that, once disabled I was fine again, so ad blockers are a suspect. [some still load the ads, just don't show them, so that could show up as poorer performance to you.]

Have you run any internet speed tools?
Some settings they adjust may actually mess up surfing speed.

sbrads · 10 Jul 2013

Try this Google link for Google UK. If that loads up quick you have a DNS problem

Faladu · 10 Jul 2013

A rebooting of your internet hardware (whatever form it is) isn't a bad place to start either.

nslookup via command prompt a website giving you trouble and use one of the resulting IPv4 addresses instead, and if ALL of them work perfectly fine, Domain Name System IS definitely messed up and contact your ISP, there are free DNS servers out there if you dare too, for testing.

nslookup <sitename using alphabetical characters here>

Example:
nslookup google.com ........gave me about 10 IP addresses to use instead. 74.125.224.230 was one, and verified works, it could be dynamic though, that is why we use DNS in the first place, so the IP can be changed, but the NAMED version gets pointed to the right IP via the DNS servers and the result was the wars over names and .com .net whatever, funny to me that .extensions have to get "approved".

If I really want ihate.you to point to a certain site, I can manage it!!!

[hint HOST file]

Use ipconfig /all from command prompt for all the Internet settings info you are using, includes DNS, mine points to my router which is handling it via my Internet Service Provider's DNS settings.
[expect 192.168.x.x as likely result if yours is using a router for DNS as well]